Rat and Dog
by Lioness's Heart
Summary: Terrier oneshot. Rosto had dared her to chase him. He had wanted her to try to catch him. But Beka never caught him on that chase. Instead, he caught her.


**Disclaimer: As I've said a number of times before, if it were mine, I wouldn't be waiting (highly impatiently) for Bloodhound and I would actually know if Beka and Rosto got together in it (or Mastiff, as Elkhound seems to have been retitled)....  
A/N: So, this one was mainly inspired by one of my themes (which this is an expansion of) from Undeniable (Rogue, from the last set), and was done as a much belated birthday present for Navigator101. I personally love how it turned out, and I'm hoping to eventually do more of these non-angsty, fluffy oneshots. Anyway, enjoy, and don't forget to leave me a review to tell me what you think of it!

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**It was clear to anyone who was anywhere close to her: Beka Cooper was in a very bad mood. The blond mot was stressed from everything that was going on – she was sick of being called a doxy, much less the Rogue's doxy. And that was what had been happening far too much for her liking lately, what with the fact that she had not moved out when she had become a full Dog.

She was walking the streets with her new partner, Wes, and the Rats were scattering at the barest sighting of her. That was both good and bad, from her perspective. She wanted to hobble a few Rats and do her job, but they were all too afraid of her to stay anywhere close to her as she and her partner made their way toward the riverfront.

Beka wasn't pleased about it all, what with her annoyance chasing away what she needed to catch to do her job properly. It was making her more frustrated. The fact that she kept having some of the Rats that wandered the streets stop and stare at her didn't help either.

"Cooper!" She turned at the sound of her name being called. Wes stopped, too, following her gaze to the person who had called out to her. Rosto the Piper, the King of Thieves in Corus, came loping up to her. He wasn't at all winded, for all they were far away from the old building where the Court of the Rogue was held and he looked like he had come from Court. His brushed back a few stray strands of white-blond hair before Beka responded.

"What do you want, Rosto? I'm working," she said. Wes couldn't help but laugh beside her.

"You forgot to mention that you're also in a horrible mood," her partner said. Beka sent him an ice-eyed glare out of the corner of her eye. For a moment, Rosto looked at Beka's partner, who he hadn't met before. The other cove was a little over an inch taller than the young Rogue, and they were close to the same age. The biggest differences were that Wes had brown hair and green eyes to Rosto's white-blond hair and dark chocolate brown (almost black) eyes.

"What's wrong, Beka?" Rosto asked, his expression changing to one of slight concern. Even if he couldn't get her to acknowledge that she had feelings for him, she was still his friend, and that mattered a great deal to him.

"You should know. It's your fault," she muttered. Rosto raised an eyebrow challengingly.

"What have I done to annoy the Terrier?" he mused aloud, knowing that it would annoy her even more to do so.

"Well, you just called me the Terrier, for one thing," she said. "Go away, Rosto. I'm working," she added. Rosto chuckled.

"And what fun would that be?" he asked. He moved a little, slipping just out of her reach.

"You can do as you please, Master Rogue, but I'm busy and don't care for your attentions," she said.

"Oh, I doubt that. You, my dear, need to loosen up." He received one of her glares while her partner snickered at them.

"Stop pulling my tail, Rosto. You're interrupting my work, and-" Beka paused, frowning at the Rogue. "What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked. Rosto's eyes flicked to her partner, then back to her. Quite suddenly, she found that his mouth had descended on hers and he was kissing her. Before she could even try, he ducked away, grinning wildly. Beka let out a shriek of outrage.

"Rosto the Piper, when I get my hands on you, I swear you will wish that you had never come to Tortall!" she shouted. He smirked at her and backed up when she took a step forward. He laughed at her, easily avoiding her when she lunged at her.

"Can't hurt me if you can't catch me," he told her, the humor in his voice enough to make her turn red. She lunged toward him again, meeting air when he dodged. He sprinted off seconds later, with her close behind him.

He led her through alleyways and crowds, which did not make her any happier.

"I swear, if you ever _try _that again, I am going to hurt you more than I will when I catch you this time, Rosto!" His only response was to glance over his shoulder and smirk as he turned a corner…

When she turned the corner seconds later, she found that he was gone. She blinked at the open alleyway several times before turning to find him standing right behind her, smirking lazily. He dodged her once again as she made an attempt to catch him. Beka was getting very frustrated by this now.

"Catch me if you can, Cooper!" Rosto called over his shoulder, laughing at the expression that crossed her face.

Then it began again. This time, Rosto led her through the Waterfront District, even past where Dawull and a couple of his rushers were standing. They watched as the Rogue, who they were so used to seeing serious and in charge, lead the Terrier on a chase that he had obviously instigated, from the look on her face. She didn't see them exchange glances. She was far too intent on catching Rosto and making sure he was justly punished for kissing her without permission, and in front of her partner, too!

Rosto continued to lead her down alleyways and through crowds, seemingly taunting her the whole time. Then she lost him. Somehow, he disappeared into one of the crowds, which was a difficult feat for someone like him.

Beka let out a disgusted growl and turned to head back toward where she had inadvertently left Wes when Rotso had started this whole mess. Seconds later, she suddenly tripped over something and went toppling to the ground.

Only she never hit the ground. A pair of strong, pale arms caught her just before she collided with the cobblestones. As Rosto helped her to her feet, she stared at him.

"You caught me," she said softly. Rosto shrugged, dark eyes staring into light ones.

"I figured you would have done the same for me," he replied, a faint smile gracing his features for a flash of a second. "Besides, I'll always be here to catch you, Beka," he added. She looked away, blushing. He touched her cheek, drawing her gaze back to him. "I'll always be here waiting, Beka. Just tell me when you're ready."

Then he was gone, vanished back into the crowd. Beka stood there for a few moments, completely shocked, before she grinned to herself and walked off to find Wes again.


End file.
